


The heart of Gold

by thestoriesthatiwrite



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), my headcanon for avengers 4, spoilers for the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 13:48:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14450562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestoriesthatiwrite/pseuds/thestoriesthatiwrite
Summary: Based on the end of Infinity war, this is a scene I headcanon takes place at the end of Avengers 4.





	1. Chapter 1

 A shooting pain went up his spine, causing him to see white flashes before his eyes. “Buck! Bucky! It’s okay, it’s okay. Just breath!”

“Steve?” He opened his eyes and saw his friend. He looked concern and relieved. There was some mud on his left cheek.

“What happened?” He said, coughing. He felt like he breathed in a dust of air. He remembered feeling unwell, and wanting to see Steve, to tell him that Thanos might have poisoned the air somehow. Make sure he was alright.   
Everything after that was a blank.

“You died, along with half the population. But we fixed it.” Steve smiled.

He was hiding something, maybe others couldn’t always tell when he was lying or skipping crucial parts in stories, but Bucky had a lifetime of experience in this department. “How did you this fix this?” He asked.

“Doesn’t matter, what matters is that you are alive. Sam is alive, Wanda is alive. T’Challa is alive.”

“How?” He pushed himself up. “How did you fix this, Steve?”

Steve looked to the ground. “Promise me,” Look up. “Promise me, you will look after them. You will keep them safe. Sam, Wanda, Promise me you stay with them, help them. Help the avengers.”

Bucky looked at him puzzled. “Where will you be?” He asked though he dreaded the answer that was the come.

“I will be right there, watching.” He smiled sadly.

Watching? Watching? What for fucking heaven?

“It was the only way. Tony and I when in trying to make a deal.” Steve swallowed. Bucky looked around searching for Iron Man. But he was nowhere in sight. None of the other where. They were in an empty ally, one in Brooklyn. The one Steve used to get beat up in, he realised.

“What deal?”

“Any deal?” Steve answered. “It wasn’t up for debate. We all agreed, whatever it takes would be done.” Steve lifted him to his feet. “Don’t blame them, they couldn’t have known the outcome.”

“What outcome?” He was getting rather fed up with Steve dancing around the answer here.

Steve sighed. “Promise me, you will be there for them.”

“Fine, I promise,” he sneered slightly. “What deal?”

“The heart of Gold for all the lives taken.” Steve answered.

Bucky looked confused, why would that effect Steve. He was human. “Okay, so we’ll find this heart of Gold. We can ask the Guardians they can search for it.”

“it’s not a real heart Buck. It’s why I became Captain America, why I was chosen. Remember. I told you. Why the doctor had chosen me.”

Bucky took a step back. “Please tell me you refused.”

“My life for millions, there was nothing to refuse.”

Bucky felt horrified. Steve had exchanged his life for his, he was dying or already dead. Was any of this real. He touched Steve, felt his pulse. “There has to be something we can do.” He took Steve’s arm and dragged him out of the ally.

“I’m tired.” Steve said with a whispered as his legs gave out from underneath him. Bucky took a hold of Steve. He looked at Steve and the man looked back at him with his  blue eyes, there was sadness in there. “I’m sorry.” He said.

“That’s okay. We can fix this.” Bucky encouraged. “I’m not losing you. You have to stay with me till the end of the line. And that is not here. Do you hear me?”

“I’m sorry, Buck. It was the only way.”

“Come on. On your legs. Or I’ll carry you bridal style.” He was having none of this. Deals could be broken, there were always loopholes.

Steve tried to stand up, but he fell backwards instead. His whole body lay on the floor. Bucky hovered over him, inspecting him.

Then Steve looked up at him, “Your hair is longer.”

“Yeah, it is.” Bucky responded, Steve knew his hair was longer….

“When did you get back?” He asked softly, eyes filled with confusion, “Is the war over?”

Realisation dawn on him, Steve’s mind had gone back to the 40’s. He only remembered Bucky leaving. Not the part where he became Captain America. “Yes, we won.” He smiled. This was his Steve he was talking to now, the one he had known for so many years.

“Wish I could have been there. Now all I did was write you letters.” He moped.

Bucky looked at him, “You made all the difference in the world, Steve.”

This was it. He knew it, he couldn’t move Steve if he tried. They had to wait for the others to arrive. He took Steve in his arms and they remained silent for a while, Steve resting against him, “I’m so cold.” The man said.

He was cold, Bucky concluded when he touched his hand. Like freezing cold. He pulled him closer to him, maybe he could safe him, if he kept him warm. Tony or Dr Strange they could undo it, fix this. He just had to keep him safe with him. He looked down and saw his friend’s eyes were closed. He shook him. “Steve! Wake up, Wake up!”

The man weakly opened his eyes. “I’m just so tired, Buck.” He sighed.

“I know.” He whispered placing a hand through the man’s blond hair, “I know. But you have to stay with me, okay.” He kissed his forehead softly. Steve raised his head a dazed but intrigued look on his face and Bucky bend down and slightly brushed his lips against his. He felt Steve smile against it.

He took a stronger hold of him, trying to keep him more warm and felt Steve lay his head on his shoulder, face buried in his neck. “I love you too.” He whispered. Bucky felt the soft breath hit his neck, until they stopped.

He didn’t know when the first tears had fallen down his face, if they had been there from the start or just arrived. It didn’t matter. He had failed. The motionless body in his arm the sole testament of his inability in the end to uphold his promise to look after Steve and keep him out of trouble.   
In blurs he spotted red hair dangling in front of his face, he felt strong arms remove Steve from his embrace. He felt a metal arm lift him up, whispers from Sam in his ear, words spoken all around him but none that he could hear.

Steve was gone, nothing else mattered.


	2. Epilogue

“He will be safe here.”

“I know. I was too.” Bucky answered. He looked out of the large window at the plains ahead of them. They used to bring him peace but the signs of war were to visible to have the same effect right now.

“Shuri is already on it, she will figure it out.” T’challa tried to reassure him. Bucky smiled weakly.

“They are waiting for me.” He said, “I’ll be back soon.”

He walked away, exited the building and saw Sam and Wanda leaning at the wall outside. “We will fix it.” Sam nodded to him.

“As long as the strange energy remains within him, we can safe him. I couldn’t safe Vision, I couldn’t safe my brother, but I will safe Steve.” Wanda spoke strongly. Bucky didn’t know her well, but he understood why Steve had asked him to keep her safe, to keep her with him. She like them had lost everything, but was still strong and ready to protect the world. He admired that.

Bucky nodded. “There’s a base in Tokyo that belonged to Hydra. They might have something that can help us.” He walked into the sunlight. He would not give up on Steve. Something was keeping Steve alive, or undead as he had been declared, and he would search the world, the universe for a way to bring him back to life. The world may no longer need Captain America, but one day it would, and even if the world didn’t need him, Bucky did. Steve looked for him for years, saved him from himself, helped him. Now it was his turn.

He felt Sam’s hand on his shoulder as he nodded towards him, as if he was thinking something similar. This was his team, Wakanda their new home, and saving Steve was their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up with this idea in my head to fit in Steve's exit from the Marvel Universe.   
> In the comic books Steve is considered dead for a long while before coming back, so I wanted to leave that possiblity open.   
> It is my own headcanon though that Wanda would want to help safe Steve, because I think after vision Wanda has the most loyality towards and closest relationship with Steve.


End file.
